Using iMovie

"iMovie at a Glance" is an introduction to the controls in the iMovie window. Use these controls to create a movies. Take a look at these pages to learn the names of the iMovie controls to follow instructions in iMovie Help.

layout

The pages that follow provide an introduction to the main iMovie window, the timeline and clip viewers, and the different panes used to add professional polish to a movie.

iMovie Window

imovie window

A - iMovie monitor: Watch clips play in this window. Play clips that are in the Clips pane or the clip viewer.
B - Scrubber bar: Drag the playhead along the scrubber bar to move through a clip frame by frame. The number near the playhead indicates how far (minutes:seconds:frames) the selected frame is into the movie.
C - Mode switch: Click to switch between camera mode and edit mode. Use camera mode to choose an input device and transfer raw video into the computer. Use edit mode to work on a movie.
D - Playback controls: Use these controls to skip to the beginning of a selected clip, play the clip in the iMovie monitor, or play the clip full screen on a computer's monitor.
E - Volume slider: Slide this control to change the volume of the computer's speaker while working in iMovie. This won't change the volume levels in the video or audio clips.
F - Pane buttons: Click these buttons to see the different panes of the iMovie window. See a description of each pane later in this document.
G - Trash: Drag unwanted clips to the Trash icon to delete them. Restore cropped video and audio from the iMovie Trash if it hasn't been emptied.
H - Disk space indicator: Monitor free disk space while developing. Always have about 2 GB free disk space for optimal performance of iMovie. When this bar turns yellow, disk space is running low. When it turns red, free up some space to continue working on the movie.

Clip Viewer

Use the Clip Viewer, shown below, to add clips to the movie and arrange them in the order they will appear in the movie. Create titles and transitions, or add photographs from the iPhoto library, by dragging them to the clip viewer.

clip viewer

A - Clip viewer button: Click the clip viewer button to switch from the timeline viewer.
B - Clip: Each section of video footage and any still images being imported are called clips.
C - Transition marker: Transition markers indicate that two clips are linked by a transition.

Timeline Viewer

Use the Timeline Viewer, shown below, to work with audio clips, synchronize audio with video, and to adjust the timing of the movie.

timeline viewer

A - Timeline viewer button: Click the timeline viewer button to switch from the clip viewer.
B - Video track: Select clips in this track to add motion effects.
C - Audio tracks: Place and arrange audio clips in these tracks to synchronize audio and video clips. Deselecting the checkbox to the right of the track mutes all the audio clips in that track.
D - Zoom slider: Move the slider to make clips appear larger or smaller in the timeline.
E - Clip speed slider: Select a video clip and drag this slider to make the clip play faster or slower.
F - Edit Volume: Select this checkbox to see the volume level bar for all clips. Move the slider to raise or lower the volume of a selected clip or clip segment.
G - Volume level bar: Click this bar to add markers, then drag the markers to adjust the volume for sections of audio clips. Use this to make audio fade in or fade out.
H - Audio waveforms: Representations of audio intensity. Use audio waveforms to align video to audio events such as a certain drumbeat or the exact beginning or end of the audio.
I - Audio checkboxes: Select a checkbox to hear the audio in its track. Deselect it to mute the track.

Clips Pane

Click the Clips button to open the Clips pane. The video footage and still images imported into iMovie are stored here.

clips pane

A - Clip name: Each clip is assigned a unique filename. Double-click the name to change it to something more meaningful. Drag a clip from the Clips pane to the clip viewer to add it to the movie.
B - Duration: The length of a video or audio clip is read as minutes:seconds:frames. For example, 01:08:15 is 1 minute, 8 seconds, and 15 frames into the movie.

Photos Pane

Click the Photos button to open the Photos pane. Import an image directly from the iPhoto library, add pan and zoom effects to it, and choose how long the photo is to show in the movie.

photos pane

A - Ken Burns Effect: Use these controls to set up pan and zoom effects for photographs. Turn the effect off or on by selecting or deselecting the Ken Burns Effect checkbox. Click Start and Finish to set which part of the photo is showing at the beginning and end of the effect. Use the Zoom slider to set the zoom.
B - Reverse: Click to reverse the direction of the pan and zoom effect.
C - Preview: Click to see how the effect looks in the preview monitor.
D - Apply: When the effect is created, click this button to apply the effect to the photograph. This creates a new clip in the Clips pane that can be added to a movie.
E - Duration: Move the slider to set how many seconds the photograph remains in view.
F - iPhoto pop-up menu: Choose a iPhoto library or an iPhoto album from this menu to view and select photographs. Drag a photograph from the Photos pane to the clip viewer to add it to the movie.
G - Preview monitor: Use this monitor to set up and preview effects for a selected photograph.

Audio Pane

Click the Audio button to open the Audio pane. Add sound effects, record a voiceover, or import music from a CD or an iTunes music library.

audio pane

A - Audio pop-up menu: Choose the source from which music or audio will be imported. Choose a track from an iTunes library or a music CD, or an iMovie sound effect. Drag a sound effect or iTunes track from the list to the timeline viewer to add it to the movie.
B - Eject button: Click the button to eject a CD from the optical drive.
C -Play: Click the button to play or pause a selected track.
D - Search field: Type some words from a title to search for a particular audio file in an iTunes library. Search by title or artist.
E - Place at Playhead: Click the button to import a selected track into a movie. The imported track appears in one of the audio tracks in the timeline viewer.
F - Record/Stop: Click the button to record a voiceover or other sound through a computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone. The input meter displays the sound level; sound quality is best if it stays within the yellow range.

Titles Pane

Click the Titles button to open the Titles pane. Add opening titles, rolling commentary, or end credits. Choose a title style, font, and text color.

titles pane

A - Preview: Click to see how the title will look.
B - Update: Click to apply changes to a title that has already been added to a movie.
C - Arrow buttons: For some titles, click the arrow button to set the direction the title is to move.
D - Preview monitor: Use this monitor to view title styles and preview settings.
E - Timing controls: Move the sliders to set how quickly the titles are to appear and how long to pause before disappearing. Other options may be available, depending on the title style.
F - Titles list: Select a title style for the text to be added to a movie. Click the arrow next to a title to see more titles in that category. When done setting options for the title, drag the title style from this list to the timeline viewer to place the title in the movie.
G - Font controls: Choose a font, then move the slider left or right to adjust the font size. Choose a font color using the color box.
H - Over Black: Select this option if the title is to appear over a black video clip instead of one of the video clips.
I - QT Margins: Select this option if the movie is to be exported to QuickTime. Deselect it if movie is to be shown on a television screen.
J - Text fields: Type text in these text fields. If the style chosen allows more lines of text, use the plus and minus buttons to add or remove lines of text.

Transitions Pane

Click the Transitions button to open the Transitions pane. Add transitions to move smoothly between the scenes in a movie.

transition pane

A - Preview: Click to see how the transition will look in the iMovie monitor.
B - Update: Click to apply changes to a transition that has already been added to a movie.
C - Apply: Click to apply the transition to multiple selected clips in a movie.
D - Arrow buttons: For some transitions, click an arrow button to set the direction in which the transition is to move.
E - Timing controls: Move the sliders to set the speed of the transition and make other adjustments, depending on the transition style.
F - Preview monitor: View a selected video clip and transition here.
G - Transitions list: Select a transition in this list. When done setting options for the transition, drag the transition from this list to where it will appear in the clip viewer.

Effects Pane

Click the Effects button to open the Effects pane, where special effects can be added to change the look of a movie clips. For example, change color video to black and white, adjust the image brightness and contrast, or add playful effects like fairy dust or rain.

effects pane

A - Preview: Click to see how the effect will appear in the selected clip.
B - Apply: Click to apply the effect to the selected clip in a movie.
C - Effect In/Effect Out: Move these sliders to the points in the selected clip where the effect is to appear and disappear.
D - Preview monitor: Use this monitor to preview the effects being set up.
E - Effects list: Select an effect in this list to change the appearance of clips in a movie.
F - Appearance controls: Move these sliders to make adjustments to the selected effect. These options will vary, depending on the chosen effect.

iDVD Pane

Click the iDVD button to open the iDVD pane. Add chapter markers to a movie and export it to iDVD.

idvd pane

A - Chapter titles: A new chapter appears in the list each time a marker is added. Type a name for each chapter that to be used in an iDVD scene selection menu.
B - Add Chapter/Remove Chapter: Click to add or remove a chapter marker in a movie. If the movie is exported to iDVD to create a DVD, the markers added are used to create scene selection menus in iDVD.
C - Create iDVD Project: Click to export a movie directly to iDVD. This opens iDVD version 3 or later and the movie appears as a project in the iDVD window. If using iDVD version 3 or later on a computer or there is an unsupported DVD drive, this button is not available.

Watching a Finished Movie

When an iMovie project is completed, the project will need to be exported into a finished movie format. There are several movie formats to choose from depending on how the movie will be viewed and shared with others. It can be:

Posted it on the Internet
Sent it in an email message
Burned it on a DVD
Saved it to DV tape it can be viewed on TV or transfer it to another medium (such as VHS tape)
Sent it to a Bluetooth® device

No matter which way the movie is viewed, iMovie makes it easy to create a movie file in the proper format. Creating the finished movie is called exporting the movie, and iMovie's new Share dialog makes it easy to do.

Before Beginning

To make it easier to do the tasks in this lesson, print the lesson before starting. In many tasks shown in this lesson and in iMovie Help, menu commands will appear like:
Choose Edit | Clear.
The first term after Choose is the name of a menu in the iMovie menu bar (shown below). The next term (or terms) are the items to be chosen from that menu.

edit clear menu

Sharing Movies

iMovie makes it easy for movies to be shared with friends and family. Use the standard export options provided, or customize exports if needed. Start with the Share dialog, shown below, and choose an option. To see the Share dialog, choose File | Share.

share movies

Exporting to DV Tape

A finished movie can be saved on DV tape in raw digital video format. This preserves the full quality of the original video, just as it was shot. Once the movie is exported back to a tape in a camcorder, it can be viewed in the camcorder or watch it on TV by connecting the camcorder directly to a television.

To export a movie back to tape:

Connect the camera to the computer using a FireWire cable, as done to import footage onto the hard disk. (For more information, see the first iMovie tutorial lesson, "Getting a Video Into iMovie.")
Make sure there is a blank DV tape in the camcorder (or a tape that will be taped over) and set the camera toVTR mode.
Choose File | Share.
Click Videocamera in the toolbar, then type a number in the field to specify how long the computer is to wait before it begins exporting the movie. Specify whether black footage is to be added on the tape before and after the movie.
Click Share.
When the movie is finished exporting, use the tape as any other digital videotape would be used. Note: If unable to export back to the camera, check to see if the tape is write-protected. The PAL device may have the FireWire input disabled. Contact the device manufacturer for more information.

Watching A Finished Movie

Exporting for iDVD

iMovie can easily create a movie that is optimized to burn on a DVD. If using iDVD 3 or later, a project can be exported to iDVD and an iDVD project can be started with a click of a button.
To export a movie to iDVD 3 or later:

Click the iDVD button to open the iDVD pane.
Click "Create iDVD Project." The exported movie appears in the Movies pane in iDVD.

iMovie takes a little while to compress and export a movie. (The time it takes depends on the length of the movie.) It's best not to use the computer for other tasks during the export process.
If an earlier version of iDVD is installed, or if the movie is to be exported in a format appropriate for DVD authoring, save the movie as Full Quality DV. Any chapter markers created in the iMovie project will be preserved.
To save a movie for general DVD authoring:

Choose File | Share
Click QuickTime in the toolbar.
Choose Full Quality DV from the "Compress movie for" pop-up menu.
Click Share.
Type a name for the movie file and select a destination.
Click Save.

Exporting for Other Viewing Formats

All viewing formats (except for DV tape) are QuickTime formats that differ in size depending on their purpose. For example, if a movie is to be sent via email, a very small QuickTime file size is desirable.
To export to QuickTime:

Choose File | Share.
Click QuickTime in the toolbar.
Choose an option from the "Compress movie for" pop-up menu and click Share.
Type a name for the movie file and select a destination.
Click Save. iMovie takes a little while to compress and save the movie. It's best not to use the computer for other tasks during the export process. How long it takes depends primarily on how long the movie is, but also on how small the final movie file will be. Smaller movie files take longer to compress.

The exported movie is a QuickTime file. To watch the movie on a computer screen, double-click the movie file in the Finder.

quicktime icon

QuickTime Expert Export Settings

If one of the preset export options doesn't meet the project requirements, experiment with creating custom QuickTime compression settings to get video output that's best suited for the project's needs.
To apply a custom compression settings:

Choose File | Share.
Click QuickTime in the toolbar.
Choose Expert Settings from the "Compress movie for" pop-up menu.
Click Share.
Choose the type of export format desired and click Options.

Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind while experimenting with custom compression settings:

MPEG-4 is the current standard codec (or compression/decompression format) used for movies that will be viewed on the web. To use the MPEG-4 codec option, QuickTime 6 or later must be used.
For movies that will be viewed on older Windows computer systems, use the Motion JPEG codec.
For a high-quality movie, export the movie in the Sorenson Video codec. This format reduces the file size of the movie while retaining a relatively high quality.
In general, choose settings that give the best tradeoff between file size and video playback quality.
Pick a desired movie frame size first. Frame size is the primary determiner of the movie file size.
Set the number of key frames next. A low number (such as every 10 frames) creates a better quality movie with a larger file size.
Set the frame rate last. Choppy video playback may result if the frame rate is set to more than 12 frames per second.

Other Ways to Share Movies

There are a number of other ways to share movies.

Email

Send the movie as an attachment in an email message. Click Email in the Share dialog, the movie is automatically attached to a blank email. Type an address and a message and click Send.

Internet

Transfer the movie to iDisk, use the HomePage feature to publish it on the Internet. Click HomePage in the Sharedialog and type a name for the movie. Click Share, and the movie is automatically sent to iDisk and HomePage for posting on the Internet.

Bluetooth devices

Bluetooth technology can be used to transfer movies wirelessly to other computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and more. To use Bluetooth devices with iMovie, the Bluetooth device must be compliant with the Third Generation Partnership Program (3G-PP) and have an appropriate video application to be able to display movies.
© .2004 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, FireWire, iMovie, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iDVD and Finder are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. The Bluetooth wordmark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG., Inc., and any use of such marks is under license. The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of the iMovie software may reproduce this publication for the purpose of learning or teaching to use the software, excluding commercial or paid-for purposes.

Materials derived from
https://academictech.doit.wisc.edu/help/audio-video-course/video-editing-apple-imovie

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